Shabbos – She’hiya – Leaving Food on a Fire from before Shabbos

November 2nd, 2012

Introduction

One of the Rabbinic prohibitions connected to the melacha of bishul (cooking) is the prohibition of Shehiya, leaving uncooked or partially cooked food on an open flame from before Shabbos to remain on the stove until one needs it on Shabbos.

Placing wool in a vat of dye before Shabbos although it gets dyed on Shabbos ((שו”ע שם.)).

However, if the melacha is noisy, Chazal prohibited initiating it even on Erev Shabbos since it is a disgrace for Shabbos to hear a melacha being performed (Zilzul Shabbos).

For example, activating a water mill on Friday that will also run on Shabbos, or more practically, setting a radio, dishwasher, or dryer to run on Shabbos (by means of a timer). Since this is very noticeable, it is a Zilzul Shabbos(disgrace for Shabbos) ((עי’ רמ”א סי’ רנב ס”ה ומ”ב שם ס”ק מח שהשמעת קול אסור משום אושא מלתא ואיכא זלותא לשבתא.)). Additionally, people may assume it was switched on during Shabbos ((עי’ מ”ב סי’ שלח ס”ק יד. וע”ע באג”מ או”ח ח”ד סי’ ע, ושו”ת מהרש”ג ח”א יו”ד סי’ ז.))

.Nevertheless, if no action was done on Shabbos, and it is well known that people set it up before Shabbos, even if it is very noticeable, it is permitted.

For example, one may:

Set an alarm clock before Shabbos to wake him up Shabbos morning even though people will hear it on Shabbos, since it is normal to set an alarm clock the day before.

Set a time switch on Erev Shabbos for the air conditioner to go on during Shabbos for the same reason.

Shehiya is an action started before Shabbos. The pot of food is placed on the fire before Shabbos, and continues to cook on Shabbos. Thus, apparently it should be permitted just like other things that may be started before Shabbos and continued during Shabbos. However, Chazal saw the need to make a safety barrier to prevent people from transgressing a Torah prohibition.

Chazal were concerned that if people would be allowed to leave uncooked food on an uncovered flame, in a moment of forgetfulness they may come to increase the flame on Shabbos, to make it cook quicker or taste better, thus transgressing mavir (kindling a fire) and possibly bishul (cooking). This prohibition is known as Gzeira Shema Yechate. ((גמ’ שבת לו:, רמב”ם הל’ שבת פ”ג ה”ד, שו”ע סי’ רנג ס”א.))

To Which Food Does it Apply

Since the reason for the prohibition of Shehiya is out of concern that one may come to increase the flame, it does not apply in all cases. If the food is at a stage where we are no longer concerned that one will increase the flame, leaving it from before Shabbos on an uncovered flame is permitted.

As to what degree the food must be cooked to be exempt from this prohibition is subject to a dispute in the Gemorah:

Chananya holds that once the food is cooked Ke’maachal Ben Dorsai(half cooked ((זהו דעת הרמב”ם פ”ט ה”ה והשו”ע סי’ רנד ס”ב סתם כדבריו, וכ”כ בגר”ז ס”ק יג. אבל דעת הרבה ראשונים דשיעורו שליש בישול, כ”כ רש”י, ר’ ירוחם, טור בסי’ רנג. והמ”ב סי’ רנג ס”ק לח הביא פלוגתא זו וכתב שבמקום הדחק אפשר שיש להקל, וכ”כ הגר”ז שבדיעבד יש להתיר אם התבשל כשליש.)) ), there is no further concern that one will increase the flame, and therefore it may be left on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos. Food cooked less than this may only be left on a covered flame (Garuf Ve’katum)[see below for a definition of what is considered covered] ((וכן פסק רש”י ותוס’ לז:)).

Similarly, according to this opinion, if the food is fully cooked, even if leaving it on the flame will improve the taste of the food (mitstamek ve’yofe lo), we are not concerned he will adjust the flame and it may be left on an open flame.

The Shulchan Oruchrules like Rabanan ((כשיטת הרי”ף והרמב”ם, והביא את דעת התוס’ בשם י”א.)). The Ramo says the minhag is like Chananya. The Mishnah Brurah says it’s correct to be stringent and all food should be fully cooked before Shabbos, but one should not rebuke someone who is lenient. The Chazon Ish is lenient even lechatchila. ((סי’ לז ס”ק ג.))

Therefore, strictly speaking, one may leave food that is only half (or in pressing need – a third) cooked on an open flame from before Shabbos.

Poskim give two reasons that our gas stoves are better than olden day stoves:

1) Coals naturally cool, and often require stoking (as one finds when making a barbecue). Therefore there is reason to suspect that one may stoke the fire. However, our stoves (gas or electric) retain the same heat as long as they are burning; therefore the need to stoke the flame is less ((שו”ת יחוה דעת ח”ו סי’ כ בשם ס’ גידולי ציון ח”ט יא. וכ”כ שו”ת ציץ אליעזר ח”ז סי’ טז אות ג.)).

2) Chazalwere only concerned that one may come to stoke the existing fire, but they were not worried that one may actually go and bring more wood, since this involves time and effort and in the meantime he will remember that it is Shabbos. Similarly, it would appear that there should be no reason to suspect that one may come to turn up the gas, since this was not part of the original prohibition ((אג”מ ח”א סי’ צג ד”ה והנה יש טעם.)).

Nevertheless, the Poskim still consider our modern gas/electric stoves as an uncovered flame (kira she’eina grufa u’ktuma) and all the halachos mentioned below still apply.

A. No. One may even ask a child, or a non-Jew to place the blech on ((הגרי”ש אלישיב שליט”א הובא בשבות יצחק עמ’ כ.)). This is because, as stated earlier, a covered flame reminds people not to adjust the fire.

Q. What if someone places a blech on the flame every Erev Shabbos so the stove shouldn’t get too dirty and not in order to fulfill the halachic requirement of covering the flame for Shabbos?

A. According to some Poskim, the blech does not help. Since it does not remind the person as to its purpose, he may forget and adjust the flame. However, if the person also knows that pots cannot be left on the flame without this covering on Shabbos, even though he does not know all the reasons behind it, this is sufficient ((שם.)).

Q. What if one cooked during the week using a blech, (e.g., he didn’t remove it after Shabbos), does it still work as a heker for the next Shabbos?

Nevertheless, as stated earlier, it is correct for all food to be completely cooked before Shabbos ((בה”ל שם ד”ה ונהגו.)). Food cooked less than a third may not be left on an open flame from before Shabbos.

Note:

If one intends to return a pot after removing it, a blech is always required – see section on “chazara”.

Raw Meat

Q. May a pot of raw food be left on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos?

A. Yes. Since the meat will in any case not be ready for the Shabbos night meal, and there is no gain from increasing the flame, we are not concerned he will forget and do so. ((גמ’ שבת עמ’ יח: “משום דאסח דעתיה ולא אתי לחתות, שו”ע סי’ רנג ס”א.)) However, this heteris not so applicable nowadays, since our efficient cooking appliances can cook even the toughest meat in a relatively short time ((ובפרט בירושלים שמקבלים שבת 40 דקות לפני השקיעה ובזמן הסעודה הסיר כבר נמצא על האש הרבה זמן, שפיר יש לחשוש שיחתה שיהיה ראוי לאכול בלילה.)). Thus, the concern still applies, since if the person would change his mind and want to eat the meat for the night meal, it could be ready if he were to increase the flame ((שביתת השבת דיני שהייה ס”ק טו, הגרש”ז זצ”ל, הגרי”ש אלישיב שליט”א (הובא בשבות יצחק עמ’ קכח) וז”ל שם “דאף שדרך בנ”א לאכול סמוך לביאתם מביהכ”נ, מ”מ גם כעבור כמה שעות בלילה עדיין הוא זמן אכילה וחיישינן שיחתה כדי לאכול אז.)).

Nevertheless, even nowadays, if one places a very large pot of meat on a low light, it may be left on an uncovered flame, since it will take many hours to cook. When using this heter, one must remember that the food must be completely raw when Shabbos begins ((מ”ב ס”ק כו בשם רש”י והר”ן, ארחות שבת פ”ב עמ’ ק בשם הגרש”ז זצ”ל במנחת שלמה ח”ב סי’ ט.)).

The Chazon Ish holds that once the food reaches yad soledes bo, it is considered as if the cooking process has already started and the food may no longer be left on an uncovered flame. However, according to the Mishnah Brurah, the food may be warm at the onset of Shabbos, but not cooked.

Q. What if the food is only intended for the next day e.g. cholent?

A. Some Poskim allow such food to be left on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos. Since one only wants to eat it the next day, we are not worried he will adjust the flame. However, this view may only be relied on in a case of pressing need, and in addition, it may not be done on a regular basis ((בה”ל ס”א ד”ה להשהותו.)).

Q. Is it sufficient to place a raw piece of meat into a pot of uncooked food just before Shabbos?

Electrical Appliances

We have discussed until now the differences between a covered flame and a non-covered flame. Chazal only allowed one to leave food on a covered flame. What status do electrical appliances have: a covered flame, or a non-covered flame?

Hot Plates

Q. What status does an electrical hot plate have?

A. There are two different types of hot plates, one with adjustable settings and one without:

Crock-pots

Q. May one leave uncooked food in a crock-pot from before Shabbos or must the outer pot be lined with foil to cover the element?

A. Since most crock-pots are heat adjustable, they have the same status as an adjustable hot plate and must be lined with aluminum foil to be considered as having a blech. Some hold that two layers should be used ((שמעתי מהגר”ע אויערבאך שליט”א וכמה פעמים מהגרפ”א פאלק שליט”א.)). In addition, it is preferable that the control knobs also be covered ((שו”ת אגרות משה ח”א סי’ צג ד”ה ולפ”ז.)).

Note:

This question addresses only the halacha of שהייה. There may, however, be other problems when using a crock-pot.

Additional Problems Using Ovens on Shabbos

Leaving food in an oven even in a permitted manner may involve other halachic issues:

If the oven has a thermostat, opening the door may cause the temperature to increase due to the loss of heat when opening the door. This is the melacha of havara – kindling a fire.

Gas Oven – when opening (or closing) the door of a gas oven, the flame tends to move vigorously. This is not a problem on Shabbos, as it doesn’t increase or decrease the strength of the flame, it is simply a change in shape due to the reaction to the new air that enters as the door is opened (or closed). However, opening the door may cause the flame to increase to replace the heat lost.

There are three permitted ways of using this oven on Shabbos ((הובא בזכור ושמור עמ’ 48.)):

Set the oven to go off before the meal begins, so the flame will be off when one wants to open the oven.

A non-Jew can open the door. One may explicitly tell him to open the door even if one is sure that opening the door will cause the flame to increase ((כיון שפסיק רישא מותר באמירה לעכו”ם. תרוה”ד הובא ברמ”א סי’ רנג ס”ה, מג”א שם ס”ק מא.)).

The oven can be set in a way that keeps the flame at the same heat and not thermostatically controlled, thus not affected by the opening of the door.

Electric Oven– an electric oven differs from a gas oven in that it has an element that goes on and off during the baking process. This element has the status of fire since it glows red hot ((רמב”ם הל’ שבת פ”יב הל’ א.)). Once the desired temperature is reached, the element goes off, coming on again when the temperature drops. If one opens the oven door when the element is off, the thermostat will cause the element to switch on and to replace the heat that was lost when the oven was opened. The door may be opened when the element is working since the thermostat will not activate anything.

There are three permitted ways of using this type of oven on Shabbos ((זו”ש שם.)):

Set it before Shabbos that it will go off shortly before the meal.

Open the door only when the element is on (one may be able to tell by looking at the element inside, or by a control light outside of the oven – depending on the type one has)

Ask a non-Jew to open the oven. He may be told explicitly to open the door.

Hot Cupboards

Q. May food be left in a hot-cupboard from before Shabbos?

A. Yes. If the food is fully cooked, it may be left inside even if it has an adjustable heat setting. A blech is not required because it can never be used for cooking.

Radiators

Q. May one leave food on a hot radiator from before Shabbos?

A. Yes, one may leave any food on it from before Shabbos ((אג”מ ח”ד סי’ עד אות לד.)) (unless it is fully wrapped in a towel etc).

Hot Water Urns

Q. Must the water in the electric urn be fully boiled before Shabbos?

A. Since the heating element in the urn is uncovered, it has a status of an uncovered flame (eino garuf ve’katum) ((הגרי”ש אלישיב שליט”א הובא במאור השבת ח”ד עמ’ עה, זו”ש, ארחות שבת עמ’ עה.)). This means that just as one can leave food that is a third cooked on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos ((כיון דאנן קיי”ל כחנניה מעיקר הדין, רמ”א סי’ רנג ס”א.)), one can leave water that is slightly above yad soledes bo on an uncovered flame – e.g., in an urn. However, as stated above, it is correct for all food to be fully cooked at the onset of Shabbos; thus, the water should be fully boiled before Shabbos ((בה”ל שם. וכ”כ אג”מ ח”ד סי’ עד אות כג, בעל השבט הלוי הובא בקובץ שיח תורה ח”ב כג.)). [See below for other reasons why the water should be fully boiled before Shabbos.]

Q. What if one has no time to heat the water before Shabbos even to yad soledes bo (e.g., he remembered just before Shabbos to heat up water)?

A. The electrical urn may not be left on if the water cannot reach yad soledes bobefore Shabbos ((כיון שאינו אפי’ מאכב”ד, אסור להשהות על כירה שאינו גו”ק (מיחם). וע”ע שו”ת מנחת יצחק ח”ו סי’ כא עוד בענין זה.)). One may however, put water in a kettle and leave it on the blech from before Shabbos even if the water is not yad soledes bo before Shabbos (However, care must be taken not to remove any water from it before it is fully cooked, since this will cause the remaining water to heat faster – see next question).

Additional Problems Involved in Using Urns on Shabbos

Q. Is there another reason why the water in the urn should be fully cooked?

A. If the water in the urn is not fully boiled, and some water was removed from the urn before it had boiled, this will cause the rest of the water in the urn to cook faster. This applies to all types of urns, whether electric or gas ((הגרש”ז זצ”ל הובא במאור השבת ח”א מכתב כב אות ה, זו”ש.)).

There are two types of electrical urns ((עי’ זו”ש וארח)):

An urn without a thermostat – one can choose to leave it on boil or to just keep warm. If the water was fully boiled, water can be taken from this type of urn whenever one wants, as this will not affect the rest of the water in the urn or the element inside the urn.

An urn with a thermostat – when the water has reached the desired temperature, the heating element shuts off, and when the water cools down, it switches back on again. When water is removed from the urn, air is let inside, and the remaining water in the urn cools slightly, thus causing the heating element to switch back on.

If one has no other urn, it may be used, providing that one removes water from it only when the heating element is on [one may hear a noise or see the red control light on – try it out before Shabbos]. Some Poskim allow water to be removed even from this type of urn whenever one wants.

There may be other types of urns that are available. Each case should be discussed with ones Rav before Shabbos.

Q. Are there any other problems involved in using an electric urn on Shabbos?

A. In the Poskim we find mention of a concern that a utensil of hot water on the flame may become empty and one will come to add water to prevent the utensil from burning. However, since our urns have the tap (faucet) higher than the heating element ensuring that some water will always remain at the bottom, this concern does not apply. Nevertheless, once the water has reached the level of the tap, one should not use any more water by tilting the urn.

Additionally, by removing water from this part of the urn, it may automatically cause the urn to switch off (by means of a safety gadget, so as not to burn out the element).

Food less than half-cooked that was left on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos

Q. What is the halacha regarding food less than half-cooked that was left on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos?

A. We explained earlier that in a case of need one may leave food that has been half cooked on an uncovered flame from before Shabbos, since we are not concerned that he will adjust the heat. However, any food that was not cooked this amount (or less than a third in difficult circumstances) must be removed from the flame before Shabbos began. If the food was not removed from the flame before Shabbos, it must be removed from the flame as soon as one remembers[78].

Q. May one eat from food that was left on an open flame from before Shabbos (and less than a third cooked)?

A. Although any other rabbinic prohibition that was performed on Shabbos inadvertently, may be benefited from, regarding the halachos of shehiya, Chazal were more stringent, and even if it was done inadvertently, e.g., without knowing it was forbidden, the food may not be eaten on Shabbos.

Furthermore, it may not be eaten [by anyone] after Shabbos until the amount of time passes that it would have taken to cook that food.

Ø If the food was placed on the flame originally to be eaten the next morning (e.g., cholent), one may be lenient and eat it.

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